Who We Are

Sail & Whale is a project which intends to get long-term useful cetacean data involving citizens, sailors and scientists.

Everything started when, studying Atlantic cetacean migration, we realized that almost everything we know about it relies on coastal sightings. Although recently some satellite tracking and photo-id studies have revealed some links between sightings in different areas, Atlantic migration routes still remain largely unknown. The big challenge to understand them is to find cetaceans in high seas. And as it becomes logistically and economically unsustainable to run dedicated surveys, new affordable data sources should come up.

From the deck of our sailboat with this idea in mind, we realized that sailors, who are around all the world’s oceans, usually mindful people concerned about marine conservation, can really make the difference reporting their sightings.